


A Family Affair

by Herald_of_Dreams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bottom! Harry, Drama, Family, Future Mpreg, M/M, Mild Bashing, Mild Language, OOC, Past Mpreg, Slash, Violence, will add others as necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 13:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4306086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herald_of_Dreams/pseuds/Herald_of_Dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry finds out he's not who he thinks he is...gasp! Attacking several cliches including Harry not being Harry Potter, Dark Harry, Harry/Voldemort relationship, Neville is the real Saviour... I'm sure you'll find a few more. Promises to be quite long and it just wouldn't leave me alone. Rating may go up, we'll see.<br/>500,000 Word Milestone Story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out In the Open

**Author's Note:**

> A/N 1: I did promise a fic for my milestone of 500,00 words and sadly instead of one of my others, this popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. For now it's an A03 exclusive, so enjoy. It's a combination of a few cliches, namely Harry not being Harry Potter after all, Neville being the Saviour, Dark Harry and I'm going to attempt a Voldemort/Harry relationship. Don't agree with any of this? You're welcome to find something else to read.
> 
> A/N 2: I had a serious dilemma with the idea of changing Harry's name. So I'm going to ask for your opinion. Should I leave him as Harry? Should it stay Caelum? Or should it be one of these?  
> Hadrian- Roman Emperor that built the wall seperating the wild North from the rest of England.  
> Harper- More modern name, literally used as for one that played a harp, could have the nickname Harry.  
> Corvus- 'The Crow', a constellation  
> Altair- Eagle, star in the constellation Aquila  
> Rigel- the foot in the constellation Orion  
> And for your knowledge his current name is:  
> Caelum-Latin meaning 'heaven, sky'  
> Valerius- Late Roman name, also a variant of the word Valerian which is an herbal calming and sleep aid in the real world, which stands for the idea its used in the Harry Potter world as well.  
> 

_The letter._ He stared at it as if it were poison, rejecting what every fibre of his being was telling him stated the actual truth. After all, what did the sender have to gain from lying? It would just poison him more against their side, not something they wanted. But _what if it was true?_ What if his entire life had been a _lie?_ Could he handle this, on top of everything else that he had learned this past June? What was he supposed to do, just walk up to one of _them_ and ask?

 

He snorted in derision. That would go over well, he could just imagine their reactions, if they even knew about it. Then another thought halted him in his impatient pacing, dust that he had been stirring settling over his feet once again like a cloak. _What if they had known all along?_ What if _he_ had known all along, helping them keep him in the dark? He shuddered, not sure he could take that sort of betrayal again. He had already been betrayed once and though he gave the impression he was over it, the direct opposite was the truth.

 

Masks. Dreadful, irritating, claustrophobic things. Necessary. Required, at least for now. Perhaps not? If what was written on that innocent piece of parchment was truth… Back again to his pacing, bare feet moving restlessly across scratched, worn wood, creaking in one spot. _Creak._ What was he supposed to do? What could he do? _Creak._ Next move… what? Where? _Creak._ Most importantly, how?

 

Eyes glanced through the dark of his room, swiftly finding his worn clothing and shoes. He was used to the dark, it had long been a comfort for him. He could hide, think, _live_ in the dark. A sharp mind raced behind deceptive eyes, filing information, pulling out others. _There._ He paused one image, staring at it with his mind's eye, carefully drawing forward every detail. Gringotts. _Accountants…Other Services…Tests.._ there! Yes. A plan, finally. Now, action. His lips quirked into a bitter smile. Well, that had always been easy enough for him.

 

He dresses swiftly, packing everything haphazardly. Three things stay with him, a wand, a cloak and a letter with poisonous words, truthful words. A name, spoken quietly. A _crack!_ loud in the silence. He hisses swiftly for silence and hands over his possessions with a few quickly, sharply spoken words. A much quieter _pop_ and he is alone again in the dark. He moves to the door and concentrates, trailing his finger down the inside of the door. _Click, click, click, thunk!_ He winces at the last, listening carefully. No sound, at least aside from the monstrous rumbling in the room next door.

 

Swiftly he moves down the stairs, eagerly. Nostrils flare in excitement at the sight of the door, freedom from his summer prison. He pulls himself away from the door and moves to the table, snagging a piece of paper and a pencil along the way. A quickly scratched note and he's ready. The door calls out to him as if it possesses the voice of a siren. He pauses, logic kicking in just before he opens the door. _They'll see! Where, how?_

 

He spins, spotting the back door. Moving swiftly, he enters the night air, heaving in a breath of fresh, clean night air. It has been long since he has breathed anything but the dust and stale air of his cell. It certainly wasn't a _room._ He throws the cloak over his shoulders, makes sure that it touches the ground and moves. Swift and quiet, he leaps the hedge into the neighbors yard. He checks the cloak again out of habit, eyes bitter as he notices the fabric clearly touching the ground. It has always met the ground when _he_ wore it. Always would, most likely.

 

From here his feet lay out a swift path almost automatically, taking him to the most discreet location to summon the obnoxiously lurid bus. All the way he tries not to think about the letter in his pocket, which rustles and shifts as if to draw his constant attention. He ignores it firmly, checks his surroundings and removes the cloak, folding it up carefully and placing it into his jacket. He raises his wand, prepared this time for the Knight Bus' arrival.

 

Boarding swiftly and shushing the conductor, he pays the exact amount necessary and lists his destination. _Diagon Alley._ He stays standing, gripping a smooth brass pole firmly for balance. A firm glare silences the conductor's attempts to make him sit or address him by name. The trip is swift and this time there is no Minister waiting for him.

 

Once the bus is gone he puts the cloak back on, waiting for someone to open the door on their way in or out. Luckily he doesn't have to wait long, Fate it seems is on his side for once. Once into the pub he makes his way to the back, discreetly pushing open the door. There are none facing his direction and he is swift, the temporary gust of cooler air is quickly muted by the smoke and heat from seemingly ever-burning fires inside.

 

Keeping on the cloak he continues swiftly down the Alley, jaded eyes passing over everything that his younger self had seen with such innocent, naïve wonder. Innocence was a gift he had long since lost, the beauty of this world was now tainted irrevocably. How could it not be, after the lies and horrors he had experienced?

 

Only once he was just outside the heavy doors of the bank did he remove the cloak for good. There were no guards outside this later, or was it early now? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that he hadn't slept in a long time. He opened the doors, paranoia born of insomnia making him check the building for human beings. Once his scan noticed their absence, he made his way swiftly to the nearest goblin teller.

 

"My name is Harry Potter," he spoke for the first time in quite a while, "and I need to speak with someone regarding your _other services_ please."

 

The goblin studied him with dark, sharp eyes, taking in the tattered shoes and threadbare clothing, moving to the messy hair, deep circles under his eyes and finally alighting upon the scar. The scar Harry loathed with every fibre of his being. After a moment the creature nodded, moving down from his podium and beckoning Harry to follow him with one long claw.

 

They moved down a hallway and passed out of sight of the main gallery and for the first time Harry let his shoulders relax, releasing a breath of tension he hadn't known he was holding. Now that he had made it to his goal, he could relax somewhat. He couldn't really until he had the truth, one way or another. Either this all was a lie or everything he had thought he'd known about himself had been a lie. At the moment Harry wasn't sure which one was better. Or worse.

 

The goblin he had been following rapped on a door and opened it at the same time, so apparently it had just been a warning to the one inside. He gestured to the open door impatiently, for Harry had stalled. If he went through that door… Not able to stand the thought of continuing on with life as it was, he uprooted his suddenly still feet and walked inside, hearing the click of the door behind him.

 

"Well met, Mr. Potter. My name is Talon, what can I do for you?"

 

He befitted his name, for each of his claws had been fitted over with a razor-sharp sleeve of iron, curved into points like the talons of a raptor. Harry moved forward, took a deep breath and removed the parchment with its poisonous words from his pocket.

 

"I need to know if this is true or not, I'm assuming you can help me with that?"

 

Talon pulled the parchment closer to him, somehow managing not to poke a hole through it. It didn't take long for the sharp eyes to read the paper, once he was done he looked up at Harry with something akin to a crocodile smile. "I see. We can help you with this, most certainly."

 

At this point, Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

^^^

Sometime later it had been proven that the letter was indeed speaking the truth. Harry had met with several individuals who had reassured him that it was a good thing and had told him he had a place with them. He was glad to have that settled, but for now he needed to know _why._ This meant another bus ride, but first he was given some better-looking clothing, with promises to replace his entire wardrobe at the first convenience.

 

Harry left Gringotts with more confidence and a lot more openly, choosing to don his father's impressive cloak once more to get through the _Leaky_ without being accosted. He removed it once outside, raising his wand. He was in a better mood, slightly, but that still didn't mean he wanted to deal with Stan's incessant chattering.

 

It dropped him off outside 16 Grimmauld Place, necessary. He didn't want to set off the wards on the Order's headquarters. It was a short, brisk walk to his destination, giving him time to clear his head and act logically as he would need to. He couldn't lose his head again, there would be no repeat of the Headmaster's office. Though he felt that his temper had been justified, if he had known about the Prophecy in the first place. A cold smile curved his lips, then again… Considering what he now knew…

 

He opened the door, hearing voices. He listened carefully, straining his ears in their direction. Recognising all of them, he almost growled. _They_ were here again, and yet again he was not. At least, up until now. He smirked, he was going to enjoy this… Moving slowly past the sleeping portrait he moved into the doorway, standing there in plain sight and yet none of them had noticed him yet. Pitiful.

 

"Honestly Headmaster I don't know why you sent him there again," Molly fretted, flapping her hands a bit like the interfering old biddy she was. No, he was _not_ going to be becoming a member of that family, thank you very much. He had no desire to tie himself to them.

 

"It was necessary, Molly. The wards keep him and his family safe," the Headmaster soothed her with a bite of impatience in his voice, likely having heard this argument a few times already. Harry scoffed quietly, not likely!

 

His eyes sought out Sirius, sitting back in his chair with a frown. Blue eyes darkened a little and he spoke quietly, hardly any of the rasp from Azkaban left in his voice. "He's not really safe there Dumbledore and you know it. We've all heard those little comments he's made about that family-"

 

"He's an attention-seeking prat, that's all there is to it Sirius," Ron interjected, making Harry's eyes light with a dangerous inner fire. He had _known_ forgiving Ron was a mistake and here was the proof.

 

"He should be doing his homework," Hermione added, "not complaining about his relatives. He's not really very smart you know, he needs all the help I can give him."

 

Harry snorted quietly and decided to make his move. Sirius looked irritated enough with the two and Remus was frowning deeply as well.

 

"Nice to hear what you two honestly think about me for once."

 

Several people screamed, others jumped or staggered and almost fell over, only a few actually had their wands pointed in his direction. If he'd have been an actual threat…

 

"My boy, I am highly disappointed in you," the Headmaster stated, twinkle gone from his eyes.

 

"Harry!" Sirius said happily, moving over and giving him a hug. He allowed it for a moment but when Sirius motioned him over to a chair he said, "No thanks Siri. I'm going to remain standing for now."

 

Turning and looking the Headmaster directly in the eye he said coldly, "Really, well let me tell you something. I don't give a damn about your opinion or esteem of me anymore. You and your precious _Prophecy_ can go to hell. How long did you think you could keep me in the dark, Headmaster? And don't give me any of your waffle, I know that you are _perfectly_ aware of what I am talking about."

 

The man's face was beginning to pale and his eyes were darkening. Molly began to berate Harry and he turned his eyes to land on her and said frostily, "Shut up. I have never asked for any of your advice or coddling and I'm not going to put up with it anymore. For all I know right now everyone in this room knows what I am talking about."

 

She turned red but Harry had once again speared the Headmaster with his hard eyes. "Go on, Headmaster. Tell them about me and your precious _Prophecy_. Tell them how I'm not your precious Chosen One and never was in the first place."

 

"Harry," Hermione said impatiently, "the Headmaster told all of us just a few days after we went home for the summer. I don't know why you're being so rude to him but it clearly is you, after all you were born as 'summer dies' and were 'marked as his equal'."

 

"Clearly," Harry spoke to her, "you don't know the slightest clue what you are talking about and have once again given your much-unwanted opinion on a subject. It's the most irritating habit and I'm not surprised you didn't have many friends before coming here. Do you know how long I've wanted to tell you to stuff your knowledge down your throat and shut up? Well I'll tell you, it's been a long time coming, girl."

 

Turning away from Hermione he spoke in a soft, cajoling voice. "Go on, Headmaster," he began pacing lightly back and forth in front of the man. "Tell your precious Order how much you've _lied_ to them, to me. I'll give you a head start, shall I? My _actual_ birthday is the 20th of May, 1981. The _real_ Harry Potter died when he was just under a year old, from pneumonia. Apparently Lily Evans wasn't much of an attentive mother."

 

"Not going to tell them? Pity. I guess I'll just have to keep going. Shall I?"

 

"James Potter," he began, "started to regret his marriage to Lily Evans just months after it was said and done. Lily was something of a mini-manager, like you Hermione, or good old Molly Weasley over there," he jerked his head in the direction of the red-faced but so far silent woman.

 

"However, his marriage to her was official and until the contract signed between them was fulfilled, he was stuck with her. The only bit that made the contract binding was the lack of a male heir, so despite his growing irritation with his marriage he stayed with her and slept with her. He discovered after a few months that she was using a contraceptive potion to keep from getting pregnant, therefore prolonging the contract. She knew he intended to leave her."

 

"James was a bit smarter than Lily gave him credit for and overwhelmed the contraceptive potion with an even more powerful male fertility potion. Mission accomplished in a way, she was pregnant. He immediately used his power over her as Lord of his family to prevent her from aborting the child or harming it in any way. Now he simply had to wait for the contract to be fulfilled and he could divorce her and leave."

 

"Meanwhile, he had to put up with her. He did so by taking off as often as possible, one of the major ways he could do this was by joining the Wizengamot. He did so, taking up his seat in the House of Lords and the Board of Governors in December of 1979. He caught the attention of several older Lords, who were impressed with his maturity and they began to advise him on political matters."

 

"He caught the attention of one man far more personally, however. James was aware of the cons of his actions, this man was father to one of his former schoolmates, he was a pureblood Lord married to his own wife (a complete shrew) and he was considered 'Dark' by most. None of this mattered more than the mutual attraction between the two and so James began an affair with this older man in February of 1980. James was 20, his lover was 41."

 

"Harry James Potter was born on July 31st, 1980. The male child needed to fulfill the contract. His mother hated him as she knew exactly what it meant. She had lost her grip on a man who had been slipping free since just after their marriage. It became worse when little Harry was diagnosed with weak lungs in August of 1980."

 

"James Potter went to a series of Wizengamot meetings in France in early October, just after finding out about Harry's illness. He felt sorry for the innocent little boy, his son, but he still couldn't stand Lily. He stayed with his older lover while they were in France and regretted nothing about it. Upon his return on the 1st of September Lily confronted him with knowledge of the affair. They argued, fiercely, which ended with James leaving Godric's Hollow in a rage."

 

"His lover's wife was off visiting family, so he went to him and stayed there. Soon after his arrival however, he collapsed. His lover summoned an official family Healer as James' blood pressure was through the roof. It was then that they found out their French vacation had resulted in a child, me. They were overjoyed to finally have a child that for both of them was the first born out of love and not familial duties."

 

"Lily found out about James' pregnancy when he began to show, something he never hid while at home alone or with the wife he disliked so severely. She was furious, to say the least, trying to force him into an abortion by threatening to reveal his pregnancy to the masses. She forgot that James was Lord of the family however and could easily command her silence, which he did so."

 

"March 3rd of 1981 Harry James Potter died. By this time the Potters were already under a Fidelius held by their Secret-Keeper Sirius Black. However the only one that knew about the death of the little boy aside from his parents was Albus Dumbledore. Lily had taken her little baby out into their backyard when it was raining so that he could splash in a few puddles, and his weak lungs contracted pneumonia from the damp air and the early spring."

 

"The Fidelius Charm hid their location from general knowledge but it didn't force them to stay there. James left Godric's Hollow just a week after the death of Harry to stay with his older lover in France until the birth of their child."

 

"I was born on the 20th of May, 1981 at 2:12 in the morning. My official birth certificate is on file in France. I am on the tapestry of both my pureblood parents, currently hidden under a Notice-Me-Not on the more obvious one."

 

"James did not bring me back to England until early July. He and his lover were delight and content to stay in France and enjoy the time together with each other and their newest addition. While in France I met several members of my new family, there are photos to prove it. They were all apparently besotted with me on sight as I was a very stunning little mix of my families' different features."

 

"Their happiness together was not to last, however. On the 20th of July 1981 Lily Evans-Potter found the divorce papers in her husband's office, all they needed were his signature. She panicked and obtained a single dose of a potion commonly called 'Liquid Imperious' though it is actually something of a misnomer. She placed it in James' tea when he wasn't looking. It did its job quickly. She had him burn the papers, refused to allow him out of the house and after her panic disappeared, called Dumbledore."

 

The faces of the people present were absolutely stunned. The whole thing sounded impossible, especially to Sirius and Remus who had no _idea_ this had been going on under their noses. They knew Harry wasn't lying however, this was just too crazy for him to have come up with on his own. They also knew because of the pale, slightly angry expression on Albus Dumbledore's face as well as the elder Weasleys'. This story wasn't new to them, but they hated the fact that _Harry_ now knew.

 

"When Albus arrived at Godric's Hollow and Lily confessed what she had done he saw a unique opportunity. You see, with the death of little Harry the only possibility of a _Saviour_ for him to mold was little Neville Longbottom, who was quite mediocre in his eyes. I was quite powerful however, even as a little baby I was showing signs of being a respectable wizard when I grew up. So with James dosed with a powerful and illegal potion he took his opportunity."

 

"I was given with powerful Blood Glamour potions to make me look like a mix of James and Lily, then given an extremely illegal and risky Aging Potion. Though I was really only 2 months old, I now looked as if I was a year old. A fake birth certificate was necessary, as was a Glamour on the death certificate for little Harry. And so on the 31st of July, 1981, Harry James Potter celebrated his first birthday with his parents, Sirius, Remus and Peter Pettigrew."

 

"Now to the real kicker. October 31st, 1981. Peter Pettigrew had met James' lover through a party held by the Malfoy family at their Manor where they were required to invited every Marked member of the Dark Lord's forces. This was in August and my sire decided to take Peter Pettigrew into his confidence with an Unbreakable Vow of silence. He told Peter of his relationship with James and also of my birth. Now, when he described me to Peter he began to wonder if this last bit I told you was possible. He couldn't do anything about it yet because we were under a Fidelius with Sirius as the Secret-Keeper, so he didn't say anything to my father."

 

"The Order was becoming scared that the Dark Lord would be coming after my parents however and Peter managed to convince Sirius and Lily that he would be a better option, less of a threat so to speak. I say Lily because of course James was still under the effects of the potion, reliant on Lily's direction for almost everything. So the deed was done, Peter became the Secret-Keeper on August 12th of 1981."

 

"He immediately went to the Dark Lord and reported that there was something suspicious about the baby Potter and suggested that the Dark Lord speak to my sire. My sire was not a Marked supporter but he was sympathetic after a sort to the Dark Lord's ideals. He thought they were still a little rough around the edges and he didn't like the unnecessary violence, which was the only reason why held back on giving the Dark Lord his full support."

 

"The Dark Lord heard my sire's story, remembered Peter's words and put two and two together. He did not tell my sire, not wanting to get his hopes up. On the 31st of October he went to Godric's Hollow, directed there by Peter. Lily saw him coming through the front door and knew the game was up. She used her last order against James to make him commit suicide by the Killing Curse, the Dark Lord was unable to stop it."

 

"He found Lily upstairs in front of my crib and by this point he was furious. He told her to get out of the way, but she was hysterical with rage and refused, so he killed her. Just before the Curse hit her however, she sent her own Curse at me, refusing to let the Dark Lord take me back to my sire alive. She rather idiotically forgot that she had placed a powerful Blood Shield on me and the Curse rebounded. Ironically enough, the blood that the shield drew off of was the oldest blood in my veins, that of my sire. So it rejected her spell and threw it upon the unsuspecting Dark Lord."

 

"Fastest to arrive at the scene was Albus Dumbledore, who quickly took stock of the situation and decided to turn it to his own uses. He cast Reducto at several support beams and collapsed strategic areas that made it look as if powerful magic had taken place that night, then he carved a mark on my forehead like a lightning bolt, casting a quick spell on it to make it 'scar'. He left after that, hiding in the bushes under a disillusionment charm while first Sirius and then Hagrid appeared. He gave me to Hagrid with instructions to head for Surrey on Sirius' bike."

 

"After placing me at the Dursleys under so called 'family protection' he left, making sure that Sirius was placed in Azkaban without a trial, despite knowing full well that he was innocent, having been told of the switch via Floo by Lily. He wanted Sirius away from me, couldn't have him realise the truth, could he? Remus took care of himself, taking off when he'd recovered from the full moon that had happened on that night, stricken with grief at the loss of his friends."

 

"And so everything went just as Dumbledore had planned. At least, up until I received a letter from the Lady Malfoy, explaining everything she knew of my actual life, with photographic evidence. I went to Gringotts and had a blood test performed before coming here, the results are very convincing. I have even met with Lord and Lady Malfoy, who have offered me a place to stay, which I am taking them up on."

 

Uproar of a sorts, at least until Harry lost his temper and shouted, "SHUT UP!"

 

Once shocked quiet reigned, he said coldly, "How do you expect me to stay here with people that have known this story the entire time? I don't know which of you were not in the know, I can guess which ones were. I have only one last thing to say to you lot and that is win your own war. I was disgusted with you before this happened, how brave are you all for hiding behind a child when each and every one of you were given a weapon that could kill someone when you were 11 years old?"

 

He stalked towards the door, shock making people stay put. Just before he left, he turned to them and said coldly, "My actual name and parentage, for those of you who care and didn't know, is Caelum Valerius Orion Potter-Black, son of Lord Orion Pollux Black and James Charles Potter. A _wonderful_ day to you and good riddance."

 

The door slammed behind him and it was only a few moments before chaos reigned.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glad to see this is so well-received at the start! I'm sorry it took a while to get this second one out, I haven't had much chance to write. I will be more swiftly updating now hopefully, my life is behaving for once.
> 
> All recognized characters, places, locations, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic and Warner Brothers. I'm just playing around in the grand old location the wonderful Mrs. Rowling chose to share with us.

Harry, or rather _Caelum_ made his way swiftly past the wards of Grimmauld and summoned the Knight Bus. He was under no illusions that they would let him slip so easily from their grasp, so he had to get to protected grounds as quickly as possible. He swore quietly as he boarded the violently purple bus that this would be the last time he rode it for quite a while. Stan didn't even try to talk to him this time, simply asking, "Where to?"

 

"Just outside of the wards of Malfoy Manor," he replied almost curtly, watching the front door of Grimmauld until they had disappeared. Thankfully, the residents inside hadn't yet gotten over their shock.

 

Stan was obviously surprised and for a moment it seemed as if he was going to forget Harry's earlier behaviour and ask what he was doing going there, but then he caught himself and walked away to see to other passengers. Harry really didn't mourn the loss, Stan had always been annoying at best. A potential hazard at the worst, after all it would be very easy to get information from the man, potentially damaging information at that. He contemplated asking one of the elder Malfoys to _Obliviate_ the man, then decided it was rather unnecessary.

 

He knew his cold, harsh behaviour had shocked the Order, he specifically remembered Severus Snape's dark eyes narrowing first in derision at his behaviour towards the Headmaster before they had widened in what had been entirely satisfying shock at his little 'story'. The funny part was, he hadn't really changed at all, this was just what had been hiding under the mask called Harry Potter.

 

Abused and neglected children did not grow up to be very trusting adults. Dumbledore had been an idiot thinking anything to the contrary. No, living with those Muggles had done nothing but slam a few hard truths into him at a very young age and repeatedly reinforce them with time. Number one, _don't trust anyone._ Number two, _forgive but never forget._ Number three, _rely on no one but yourself._ Number four, _nothing ever comes without a cost._

 

They were rough rules, they had not meant an easy life. But Harry had learned and steadily begun to thrive under them. And then a huge shock had come into his life. Magic. It was a bomb thrown into his _lessons_ and for a while he'd forgotten them. A few strange glances from Hagrid had brought them back into place along with another new one, _nobody can see what is the_ real _you._

 

Everyone he'd met had expectations, previous ideas on what he'd be like based on his father and 'mother'. None had bothered to look underneath, so he had never had any form of release from his mask unless he was alone or during the summers. He had turned down his true house because of expectations, contenting himself with being the snake turned in with the lions. Oh, a few had gotten close to seeing the real him over the years, Luna Lovegood and the Twins most recently. He'd begun to wonder about Neville, he'd caught some odd glances from the shy boy this last term.

 

It no longer mattered. He was now related to those firmly on the side of the Dark Lord and contemplating the switch heavily himself. He needed advice and he could admit, some reassurance before he could make such a decision. He hoped desperately that he hadn't lost Remus and some of the others, not to mention Sirius.

 

Sirius. Groomed to think that the man was simply his godfather, when he was really his half-brother. What a surprise that had been. He hoped the man didn't resent him, after all he was his father's child with another, one that the older Black had admittedly loved from the first. Not something born of duty to an old family full of bigots and expectations.

 

Harry had no illusions about his newly-discovered relatives. Narcissa had admitted that though they were family she loathed most of them herself. The family had nearly been destroyed several times over the centuries by bad management and near-insane members. It didn't mean that they weren't family, they were just family that it was best not to examine too closely.

 

He exited the Knight Bus and watched it whisk away with a sense of relief. It was truly one of the most uncomfortable forms of magical travel. He made his way slowly to the gates and announced himself, his real name sounding odd on his tongue. "Caelum Potter-Black."

 

The heavy iron gates swung open slowly, revealing the extensive front gardens, white peacocks and dark stone of Malfoy Manor. It was a truly impressive sight.

 

He walked slowly up the path, fatigue steadily creeping up on him. While anger still simmered in him and no doubt would for some time to come, he was no longer running on pure fury and as such his definite lack of sleep over the past few days was catching up to him.

 

At the moment he wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but he couldn't. He needed advice, he needed to speak with Narcissa and Lucius. So he was relieved when he reached the front doors and they soundlessly opened before him. For just beyond them were the two people he needed to speak with, concern in their eyes tinged with happiness.

 

"Welcome home, Caelum," Narcissa spoke warmly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She hadn't called him Harry since they had met in Gringotts this morning and his blood test had verified her words.

 

He sighed and said softly, "Thank you, Narcissa."

 

"You are no doubt exhausted, shall I have one of our elves show you to your quarters?" Lucius asked, his voice steady and firm.

 

"Not quite yet, thank you. First of all I need some advice from the pair of you."

 

"Certainly, let us adjourn to the sitting room," Narcissa nodded, weaving her arm through his and leading him to the mentioned room, done in soft pastel colours with mostly beige furniture and lighter woods. Harry took a seat in the single chair across from the settee where the Lord and Lady sat, trying not to appear as if he were ready to sink into it and fall asleep.

 

"So what do you need to ask us, Caelum?" Narcissa asked, pouring him a cup of tea.

 

"Well, the first is more personal and probably the easiest to answer, I simply had to ask. How do I decide who I am? I have been raised under a lie, I hardly know my true self, I don't even know my real appearance. How do I make such a decision?"

 

"As you spoke, it is most certainly the easier to answer. We will support you as always, Caelum, but only you can make that decision. We can help you with one part of your situation, the potion used to advance your age cannot be reversed without ill effects. After everything, it appears that you will end up half-a-month older than Draco, instead of almost a year younger."

 

"Hmm, well at least that part is solved. I hadn't the faintest idea what to do about school. I didn't want to repeat the last year but I have never heard of a student skipping one. I think I just need some more time for the other part, it would be weird to wear a different face, but perhaps it is exactly what I have been needing, to put away a famous face and just be _myself_ for once. I have been Harry for so long it has just become a frightening thought."

 

"It would be a shock to anyone, I would imagine. Realising that you are in fact someone else when you have been living your life as one person," Lucius stated.

 

"My other question is far more political. My sire Orion supported the Dark, but wasn't a Marked member himself, nor did he approve when his wife pushed Regulus into taking the Mark. On the other hand, James was part of the Order for a long time, only beginning to change his opinions just before I was born. I have a Darkness in me, I admit it freely. I am swaying more to that side but one thing worries me."

 

"What is that, Caelum?" Narcissa asked, bright blue eyes soft and curious.

 

"The Dark Lord himself. I know now that he wasn't trying to kill me that night in October, but his actions for three of my school years have been less than promising for my lifespan. Is he a sane man worth supporting like my sire did, or would he try to kill me so much as look at me? I have heard so much about how he was when he was younger from Dumbledore and that man intrigues me. It would be a pity if that were truly lost forever."

 

The Lord and Lady Malfoy exchanged glances before Narcissa gazed at her young cousin and said softly, "He is quite different from what you have seen, Caelum. If you wish it, we could arrange a meeting with him. It would even be here, he would be most accommodating to your needs. He understands the upheaval you have been through. I swear to you, Caelum, he would not try to harm you. He would wish to explain himself, but there were mistakes made by Quirinius and Pettigrew that helped along his instability. It has since then been fixed, what you have seen just earlier this summer was a mask of sorts."

 

"I wondered and admittedly hoped, that your answer would be such about his instability," Harry stated. "I would be willing to have such a meeting, but I would certainly need a better set of clothing, so it would have to be a couple of days from now. Please, let him know that if he is amiable to such a meeting that I await word."

 

"I will do so the next time I see him," Lucius nodded. He hesitated, an expression on his face that took Harry a moment to place it as nerves. "May I ask, you are extraordinarily different from the defiant little boy I have met before?"

 

Harry said softly, steel in his voice, "The Dark Lord and Slytherin house for that matter, are not the only ones familiar with the concept of a mask. I have hidden under one from the moment I rejoined this world, it was necessary. The person underneath has always been colder, sharper than the child face. I can _thank_ the Muggles that raised me for that."

 

The knowing, slightly outraged expressions on the elder Malfoys' faces at his words reassured something in Harry. It was nice to have someone angry on his behalf for once. He doubted he would ever get used to it, however.

 

He bid the Lord and Lady farewell for now and followed a house elf to the luxurious suite that was his for when he stayed at the Manor. It was just past eleven in the morning, but he needed a rest. It had been a very long, tiring day already.

 

He hardly touched the soft Egyptian cotton sheets on his bed before he slipped into the embrace of Morpheus.

\------------------------------

It was actually the next day that Harry was getting ready for his meeting with the Dark Lord. He had not been able to do so a day later, so Narcissa had surprised her young cousin with three elegant sets of robes from Twilfit & Tatting's robe shop in Diagon Alley. These would hold him for a few days, she reassured, until they could make a proper trip to one of her favourite shopping alleys in the magical world, located in Venice.

 

How she had gotten his measurements he wasn't quite sure, nor did he want to know. All he did know was that he didn't want to get in the way of a woman and her shopping. He shuddered at the very idea, more than content to let her worry about colours and fabrics and those such things. Besides, Narcissa's tastes were exquisite, as shown by the robes he was currently wearing.

 

They were black, with beautiful crimson detailing in the shape of elaborate gothic roses, trimmed in pale silver thread. Made of silk with a Mandarin collar they looked stunning paired with black leather trousers and chunky black ankle-high boots with silver buckles. He didn't even try to tame the wild hair that he now knew was so awful because of the Blood Glamour potion.

 

He made his way downstairs, the silk flowing around his body and trailing a little on the stairs behind him. Reaching the base of the stairs he found Narcissa and Lucius. Draco was staying with Blaise Zabini for the first part of the summer, he would be home in about two weeks. By that time Harry expected that he would have been alerted to the new situation and would have had enough time to let it sink in and behave as an adult, but he wasn't too hopeful.

 

Narcissa beamed at him and said, "You look stunning, Caelum. Are you ready for the meeting? He will be here soon. I'll escort you out onto the patio first, it will be the best setting at this time of year."

 

"Thank you cousin," he said softly, "for all your help. I only hope that he is in a better mood than the last time we met."

 

"He will be, I can promise you that," Lucius stated. "He was also very interested in meeting you."

 

"I will take that as a promising and positive thing," Harry said quietly. "Please, Narcissa, do escort me there. I have never been in your home before and I don't want to have to explain to the Dark Lord that I was late for a meeting in my own current residence because I got lost down some corridor."

 

Narcissa gave a soft laugh at this and held out her arm, which Harry took as a cue to link his own through it. As they walked he said softly, "Cousin, would you mind helping me with something? I have been raised amongst Muggles and have no idea how to act around my own kin. Would you be willing to teach me in wizarding etiquette, politics and that sort of thing?"

 

Narcissa beamed at him, a true, warm expression that Harry got the feeling not many saw. It was a shame, for Narcissa had a beautiful smile. "I would be delighted to help in your education, cousin, as would Lucius. He would be the better choice for politics, for example. I was wondering if you were going to ask my aid at some point."

 

"Lucius, he does not resent me for what happened at the Ministry in June?" Harry asked hesitantly.

 

Narcissa looked at him for a moment with a puzzled expression in sky-blue eyes before she realised what he meant. A small giggle left her lips and she said, "Certainly not, cousin! The whole thing was smoothed over easily with Cornelius, who will not be Minister for much longer after so many saw our Lord that day. No, I think he suffered more from a case of ruffled feathers at losing to a group of 15-year-old students than anything."

 

Harry was relieved and said, "Then I am most willing to accept his aid. Hopefully I am not as much of an idiot as the mask I've been projecting. After not having to use my brain so much over the past 5 years, I'm rather worried it has gone away permanently!"

 

"I doubt it cousin. We Blacks have been many things over the years, but stupid is not one of them."

 

They had reached the 'patio', a vast expanse of white and grey marble with tall, glowing lanterns and several tables. Narcissa directed him to a delicate wood two-person table, round, with equally delicate looking chairs. He sat, folding his hands in his lap.

 

He had not been sitting there long when he felt a slightly 'fuzzy' feeling in the air around him followed by an incredible wave of pure magical _power._ It gave off a heavy atmosphere and Harry was almost worried he was going to choke on it when it abated, just enough that it was no longer so oppressive. He realised with stunned clarity that he had just _felt_ the Dark Lord's arrival. The man's magical strength was almost inhuman and Dumbledore wanted his precious saviour to fight _that?_ He felt almost hysterical, both in relief and in awe because here he finally had it, proof that Dumbledore was in fact insane.

 

He used the ensuing minutes to make sure that he was back under control and stood carefully, keeping his hands loosely at his sides. He refrained from tensing as he heard voices approaching and was rewarded with his first sight of the Dark Lord since June. It took everything he had not to stare in disbelief.

 

The man looked _normal._ He was at least 6' 2", towering over Harry's modest 5' 6". Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and powerful legs, covered in black silk trousers. He wore an emerald green robe with a pure white shirt underneath. His skin was pale but healthy and his features sharp, aristocratic. His hair was black and fell in neat waves around his face, the longest strands touching his chin.

 

The only thing that remained from his snake-like appearance were his eyes and even those had changed. The pupil looked normal as did the shape of his eyes, but the colour had changed. It was now a deeper garnet shade than the blood-like ruby from before. There was intelligence, caution and a great deal of curiosity in that gaze.

 

Harry took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, my Lord. I had questions to ask of you before I made any firm decisions and while my cousin and her husband have answered them to the best of their abilities I would rather have the answers from you, face to face."

 

The man's face appeared to be both considering and…approving? Harry wasn't sure what that second expression meant. "While it was a short notice, I was more than willing to make such an appointment for you, Mr. Potter. I was surprised to receive your request at all, but according to Lucius you have changed considerably, not just from discovering your true parentage."

 

Lucius and Narcissa excused themselves, Narcissa promising to have a house elf send along some tea and biscuits.

 

As the pair took a seat, Harry said quietly, "I would prefer if you call me by name, my Lord. Harry, for now at least."

 

"In turn you may call me Marvolo."

 

"Thank you, Marvolo," Harry answered.

 

Tea appeared before either could say anything more and Harry took a moment to pour both his guest and himself a cup, sorting out his own afterwards. Once it was settled to his satisfaction Harry took a sip and sighed quietly. This helped, he wouldn't have been surprised if Narcissa had added a drop of Calming Draught before sending it along.

 

"If I may ask first of all, what are your policies? I may have heard them before but I doubt that Dumbledore gives the Order or students for that matter the whole truth."

 

Marvolo snorted. "Most certainly not. As for my policies and goals, I want to cut the magical world off completely from Muggles. You were raised by them, you have seen their weapons. Can you imagine what they would do to us if they were to find out about the magical world?"

 

Harry thought about that for a moment, Muggles had advanced incredibly far over the past couple of centuries. Bullets, mines, nuclear weapons. He shivered a little. "The witch trials would be nothing compared to now," he said softly.

 

"Exactly," Marvolo answered with a nod. "Muggles are not very accepting of differences. Everything from sexual orientation to race, religion and political beliefs is attacked unless protected by their government. Hate crimes are becoming rampant, for the most part running unchecked. If they discovered we existed, the consequences would be nothing less than apocalyptic for our kind. I would be surprised if any with magical blood survived, even amongst the children. One only has to look at the Holocaust to see how dangerous prejudice can be."

 

"Understandable and reasonable," Harry replied. "What about the Muggleborns? From what I have heard through children of your followers, they are treated as little better than the Muggles themselves, that distasteful name is common language."

 

Marvolo scowled. "In my absence, it seems my followers have forgotten the original goals. I am working on reminding them what was the true goal, but only those in my inner circle never forgot in the first place. Their children have damaged our image, but we will fix it."

 

"As for the Muggleborns that is a valid question. I wish to employ something along the lines of the book that keeps the names of students eligible for Hogwarts, only a little different. It will pick up magical talent from the first instance of accidental magic for Muggleborn children specifically. If they are in an orphanage they will be removed, the workers of the orphanage _Obliviated_ and the children blood-adopted into willing families."

 

"Should they already be with their own parents, the parents will have two choices. They will enter the magical world permanently, working in businesses or as staff in their fields for magical families, or they can give up the child and be _Obliviated._ Should the second option be their choice, the child will be treated the same way as an orphan."

 

"What of Hogwarts?"

 

Marvolo's scowl seemed to darken, if possible. "Hogwarts used to be one of the premier schools of magic in the world. Ever since the Ministry interfered and several Muggleborns were elected to the Board of Governors it has gone downhill. There are 15 schools of magic in the world, Hogwarts currently ranks 10th in educational quality and student performance."

 

"I know of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, but you mean to tell me there are 12 others?" Harry said, stunned.

 

"Yes. Your surprise alone illustrates part of the problem. Knowledge of these other schools isn't listed anywhere in Hogwarts. The book in the Hogwarts library, _Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe,_ only mentions those two because they are all grouped similarly on the rankings. The Ministry of Magic doesn't want possible students to know that there are better places to learn."

 

"So you mean to restore some former classes and add others, as well as better staff and possibly more stringent performance guidelines?" Harry guessed.

 

Once again that appraising glance was leveled in his direction. "Precisely. That ties in with my plans for the Ministry itself, which requires a severe overhaul to even function as it is supposed to. Currently our government and their officials are a laughingstock to the rest of the magical world and the International Confederation of Wizards."

 

"Who is our representative in the ICW currently?" Harry asked, but he had a suspicious feeling he knew who.

 

"Albus Dumbledore," Marvolo stated with almost a growl, confirming his own guess.

 

"He has his fingers in everywhere, doesn't he?" Harry said grimly.

 

"Too many places as he's about to find out," Marvolo answered with a darkly promising tone. "He's about to realise he can't have his eyes everywhere at the same time."

 

"A diversion of sorts," Harry said, earning another look.

 

"Perhaps."

 

"I have a feeling I will be shaking up the board at Hogwarts," Harry said. "I intend to be sorted into my proper House."

 

"Slytherin," Marvolo stated rather than asked.

 

"What makes you so certain?" Harry replied, surprised at the almost coy tone in his voice.

 

"One does not plot revenge as carefully as you have if they belong somewhere else, nor do they have meetings with dangerous Dark Lords that have been trying to kill them. You are quite different from what I expected, Harry."

 

Hearing his false name spoken by the Dark Lord made Harry shiver a little. "It's strange," he said quietly, "but even though that name has been mine for my entire life the very sound of it detests me."

 

"Not as strange as you may think," Marvolo countered. "There is a very good reason why I am not known as Tom or Thomas."

 

"True," Harry admitted. "As I am aware that you are a busy man, I wish to thank you for this meeting. I see no reason why I should not give you the full support of House Black. You have refined your objectives and ceased the needless slaughter and torture of Muggles, which were the two reasons why my sire objected. I can safely say that he would probably do the same as I have done."

 

Marvolo inclined his head, a glitter of what Harry was pretty sure was triumph in his striking eyes. He stood and stated, "Indeed, I am a busy man. I thank you for your support, perhaps in the next few weeks I can arrange a meeting of sorts so that you may make it official? You are too valuable a resource to be Marked, however."

 

Harry bowed his head in acknowledgement and stated, "I will be residing at Malfoy Manor for the foreseeable future, just let me know about the meeting through Lord Malfoy."

 

"I shall do so." The Dark Lord nodded. Just as he was walking through the door leading back into the Manor he stared intently at Harry and said, "I would be very interested in meeting Caelum Potter-Black, you know. The Malfoys told me of your first question and I give you my answer; no one knows who Caelum is. He will be who you want him to be. A fresh slate of sorts."

 

Then the powerful man disappeared, leaving Harry behind and blinking at his last words. He admitted, the freedom of being Caelum would be incredible. He had lived his whole life dictated by others, why not make a choice solely for himself for once?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, my fingers hurt. I'm sorry this is so late, my 70+ mother had surgery not too long ago, I was literally losing hair from the stress. She's doing great now, hopefully things will go back to normal.
> 
> I don't own anything you recognize.

** Three **

_Help me become Caelum Potter-Black._

 

Har- no, _Caelum_ was pretty sure he'd sent his cousin Narcissa into a fit of delight when he'd said this to her and her husband the morning after his meeting with the Dark Lord. Brewing had begun on the potion necessary to reverse the effect of his Blood Glamour, paid for by Lucius Malfoy. It was not being brewed by Severus Snape, something he had been adamant about. He did _not_ trust that man with anything, much less his life. After he'd explained the man's behaviour over the past 5 years to the Malfoys, along with a bit of Pensieve evidence since they were having some trouble wrapping their minds around the idea the pair had been appalled.

 

Brewing on the complicated antidote would take two days of continuous work, which was why it was so expensive. Plus it required almost two pints of blood, a very dangerous ingredient to hand over because of the many things that could be made with a specific witch or wizard's blood. Even more dangerous than hair, which was one of the reasons why the Ministry of Magic in the UK outlawed blood magic. However, Lucius explained, most of it they outlawed because they were afraid of it, just like the Dark Arts.

 

After a while of deliberation and intense questioning, Caelum had decided to take up Lucius on his offer of instruction in the Dark Arts. They were, as the man had explained, mostly considered _Dark_ because they required strong emotion and extreme control over one's magic to use. Plus they required a sizable magical core, something which the older man had almost ruefully admitted that Caelum had in spades.

 

Narcissa had chosen to wait on taking him shopping until after the Blood Glamour had been removed. It had been a wise choice, for he had changed considerably. It had been a little over a week since he had confronted the Order and learned the truth and he still marveled over his true appearance. There was hardly anything to link him to Harry Potter anymore.

 

He had gained two inches, much to his delight, standing now at a proud 5' 9". His hair had tamed out considerably, falling in soft waves around his face to just at his shoulders after the Glamour had been removed. Caelum had chosen to have it trimmed to just level with his chin, the cut he had chosen kept it in a stylish just-out-of-bed look that managed to look as sophisticated and elegant as it did simple and dare he say it, _sexy._

 

His cheekbones were high and flat, his face oval in shape with a high forehead, straight nose and sharply arched eyebrows. He was very much a member of the Black family in looks, he recognised many of his features as the same classically beautiful ones his half-brother Sirius possessed. His mouth and chin were James', as were the shape of his eyes and his creamy complexion.

 

His eyes were somehow just as stunning as the fake emerald colour, if not more so. His eyes were now the colour of dark storm clouds with a ring of James' rich golden-brown around the pupil. He had eyelashes a girl would all but kill for, he'd noticed with amusement, long and generously thick. His mouth was a pale pink not much darker than the palest roses out in the gardens, the bottom lip just a bit fuller than the top.

 

He remained slender, with slightly wider shoulders and a tapered waist. His legs were long as were his slender fingers. He would never be bulky with muscle, but Caelum found that he preferred his wiry, lithe strength and grace. He would be underestimated physically by his opponents, something he would take advantage of.

 

His glasses had become unnecessary for he had perfect sight after the Blood Glamour had been removed, much to his delight. He had been furious to note the lack of scar on his forehead however, even knowing that it had been placed there by Dumbledore to make his chosen saviour 'visible'. He had hated that mark all his life and to know it would have been so easily removed…

 

His entire wardrobe had been replaced, not that there had been much to begin with. Aside from the three elegant robes Narcissa had made for him, he had possessed only his school robes and Dudley's cast-offs. The Malfoys had been furious to realise that all of his belongings fit easily into one trunk without shrinking.

 

Now it would take three steamer trunks just for his entire wardrobe to be packed away. He had never possessed such an array of clothing in his life, though he found that he greatly enjoyed it. Today he was wearing a pair of black silk slacks and a pale blue three-quarter sleeve button-up. He was reading a book in one of the smaller sitting rooms, one of the books Narcissa had assigned him for etiquette lessons. Honestly, he had never realised there were so many _rules_ to interacting with his fellow witches and wizards.

 

When he'd read the part about first greetings he'd winced. While lacking major tact and a few more formal words, Draco's initial greeting had been correct, his own rebuttal had been more than unacceptable, it was actually considered downright rude. So he'd skipped to formal apologies and written down the informal one, determined to practise it for when Draco returned from his visit. Hopefully he would be able to defuse some of the tension, if not all of it.

 

There was a sudden _pop_ and Dobby appeared. The house elf wasn't too happy to be back in Malfoy Manor, but since Caelum had sworn him to the service of his own family he did as he was told. It was dangerous, Lucius had told him, for him to keep a house elf in his services without the bond between the two. House elves had to take orders from someone, it was in their nature. Dumbledore could have easily used the creature against him if not for the bond.

 

"The Lady Malfoy is requesting you in the main sitting room," Dobby stated, before disappearing.

 

Caelum frowned and stood, brushing off his clothing and setting his book on the table, marking his spot with a bookmark. Another elf would have it sent back to his rooms for him if what was going on would be taking some time.

 

The formal wording of the request made him wonder if he wasn't about to meet one of the Lady Malfoy's associates or one of Lucius Malfoy's partners. He took a moment as he passed mirror in one of the hallways to make sure that his appearance was acceptable for a casual meeting. Deeming himself to be clothed in a decent manner he continued, stopping just outside the wood door where Narcissa was waiting for him.

 

"What is it, cousin?" he asked softly, surprised by his voice. It was going to take awhile to get used to the mild tenor after having such an embarrassingly _squeaky_ voice before.

 

"Your half-brother and his friend Lupin are here, asking to see you."

 

Caelum froze. While he had been expecting to hear from Sirius at some point or another, he'd thought it would be by letter or some such thing, as well as later. _Much_ later, this was surprisingly early for the laid-back former Marauder. Perhaps a result of Remus' prodding. Hopefully not that of the _Order_ , he added darkly to himself.

 

"Thank you cousin, I think I will speak to them alone at first if this is acceptable?"

 

"Perfectly," she replied, "I will be in house elf range should you need something."

 

He nodded his thanks, feeling reassured that back up was close by if this turned ugly.

 

As Narcissa turned to the door he braced himself and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. _However this goes, it will be okay,_ he thought.

\----------

To say that Sirius Black felt conflicted over the past week was an understatement. He'd been absolutely flabbergasted to learn that the little boy he'd thought of as his godchild and surrogate son was in fact his much younger half-brother. At first he'd been angry. Angry with Dumbledore, for doing such a thing to his half-sibling. Angry with James, for getting into a relationship with his father and never saying a word to him. Angry with his father, feeling bitterly like the man had wanted to replace him.

 

After the anger had come hurt and finally, shock and wonder. Not a little bit of awe either, after all he had a living sibling. Not a small thing to consider, was it? Sympathy had come hot on the heels of the other emotions as well, after all if this was a shock for him he could just imagine what it was like for Harry! Or Caelum, or… He had shaken his head, boggled on the topic of which was his actual name.

 

He was furious with the Order however, especially once he'd found out how many had known _who_ Harry really was. Dumbledore and the elder Weasleys had only been the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Alastor had known, as well as Nymphadora and her mother. Wasn't that a surprising thing to learn, as they were actually going against a blood relative? Hermione and Ron hadn't known, but their spiteful words about Harry to his face and behind his back were disgusting.

 

Remus had been just as furious about things as he was, it was his old friend who had finally convinced him to come and speak with Harry. So, uncomfortable with the whole situation, he had dressed in some of his nicer clothes, boarded the Knight Bus (the whole benefit of being a free man, Peter having been caught in June) and called upon Malfoy Manor, Remus nervously escorting him and feeling a little out of place.

 

Narcissa had been gracious, if a bit cool toward him and sent word by house elf to notify 'Master Caelum' of his visitors. That at least settled the whole 'which name' debate. Narcissa had informed them both as they waited that Caelum had chosen to go by his birth name and had the Blood Glamour removed. She had also informed them that there was no way to reverse the Aging Potion without killing Caelum, so his date of birth was now May 20th instead of July 31st.

 

Narcissa had left the sitting room to warn Caelum of who waited for him and Sirius was left nervously twisting his fingers and trying to calm his racing heart. For some reason he was very nervous and almost sick with anticipation about this meeting. Remus shot him a worried look and said quietly, "Calm down, Padfoot. I know this is hard but you're going to pass out or something if your heart keeps racing that fast."

 

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, managing to relax a little just as Narcissa entered the room and said softly, "I will be nearby, Caelum has agreed to a private meeting with you both."

 

Sirius nodded. He couldn't have said when she left the room, because the moment the door had opened his gaze was fixed on the shocking sight of what had been Harry Potter just a few days ago. This was _Caelum,_ not just by visual image, but he could feel his very blood calling to him, defining _kin._

 

He was very much a Black now, their family had always had very dominating traits over those they had married into. he was relieved to see that he could still find a few of James' traits there, some of which hadn't changed from the face of Harry to this new one. His eyes were shocking but still beautiful and they fit his angular, elegant face.

 

He walked with a quiet, flowing grace over to stand in front of them, eyes betraying nerves when standing this close. And suddenly things just snapped into place and Sirius stood, carefully wrapping his arms around the taller teen's waist. He heard a quiet noise of pure relief and the young man threw his arms around his shoulders and hugged him back fiercely.

 

This if anything steadied his conviction that he had made the right choice. He hadn't known he meant so much to Caelum, otherwise he never would have doubted his support of the younger man. Only once he'd finally relinquished his hold on his young brother did Remus give his own hug of support, getting back one that was just about as firm as the one given to Sirius.

 

"It's going to be all right," Sirius whispered into Caelum's ear, getting a soft sound that was almost a sob in return. He had seen it in the teen's eyes, he was steeling himself to be rejected by his newly discovered family. To be accepted instead had overwhelmed his defenses.

 

They sat, Caelum seated firmly between Sirius and Remus, one of his long, slender hands in each of theirs. Once they were all a bit calmer Sirius began softly, "We were furious, Caelum. After you dropped your little bombshell and left, the Order immediately began arguing over going after you or just letting you go. They were convinced that since you were a Black and you were staying with the Malfoys that you had to be Dark."

 

"I had no idea Caelum, I swear to you. Your story was as much a shock to me as it was no doubt to you. I knew my estranged mother was furious about something in the last years before she died, but I never guessed what, nor would I have even begun to think anything close to the truth."

 

"I had a feeling it was a shock for you," Caelum said, voice hardly louder than a whisper. Sirius noted the change in his voice with some surprise. It had a velvety note to it now, Caelum could easily be trained to use his voice to his advantage.

 

"I am sorry to say that aside from the elder Weasleys, Alastor Moody, our cousin Andromeda Tonks and her daughter all knew about you. Hermione and Ronald did not, but what you overheard that day is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak, they are not very kind in talking about you behind your back. One of Hermione's comments made me very curious however, how come you never mentioned liking guys instead of girls?"

 

Caelum's face paled a little and it took a moment before he steeled his nerves enough to say, "The Dursleys were not very accepting people. I had to hide it from them, they were very derogatory about people on the telly. Anyone different from them wasn't natural."

 

"You do know that it is more than acceptable in the Wizarding world, correct?" Remus checked, amber eyes concerned.

 

"Yes, I just found out recently with some research in the library at Hogwarts. It's how Hermione found out, she doesn't know the meaning of leaving someone alone when they're researching, especially me. Her parents are very religious, she just reinforced my opinion to keep it quiet for the moment."

 

Sirius' mouth thinned in anger. "I hate to say it, but the greater majority of the Order are worse bigots than the Purebloods they accuse. I am not happy with them at the moment."

 

"I met with the Dark Lord," Caelum said, voice a little uncertain.

 

Sirius locked his own blue-grey eyes on the startling orbs of Caelum's, just a little bit shocked. "You did? I'm surprised, even with the fact that the events of All Hallows' Eve were turned around to suit Dumbledore you've mentioned incidents since then that seem like he wanted to kill you."

 

"He's quite sane now, apparently being out of his own body was jarring and overwhelmingly painful and apparently Pettigrew messed up the potion required to return him at the Tournament."

 

Remus snorted a little. "Peter was never the best at Potions, he hardly scraped by even with a much better student helping him."

 

"What are his policies like?" Sirius asked, a few thoughts whirling about in his head.

 

"Sound, nothing like what the Order spits out or the children of the Death Eaters. He wasn't happy when I told him what the general opinion was, said he would have to do quite a bit of damage control."

 

Sirius squeezed his younger half-sibling's hand and called for a house elf. When a small female appeared he asked for her to bring Narcissa to the sitting room.

 

The graceful woman appeared just a few moments later, too soon for Sirius to sate the curiosity he could see in his half-brother's eyes. She sat neatly across from them and said, "How may I be of assistance, cousin?"

 

"I would like to know if Remus and I may impose on your hospitality as well as that of your husband. The actions of the Order and specifically Dumbledore against my sibling are unacceptable. I will not be associating with them any longer, family is worth more than that. To that end I would like to be able to speak with the Dark Lord myself and I think it is time measures are taken at Gringotts to ensure my brother's happiness and security."

 

Narcissa smiled warmly, startling Sirius who had hardly ever seen such an expression on her face. "Welcome back, cousin."

 

"Truthfully, 'Cissa, I don't think I ever left, no matter how hard I tried," Sirius answered quietly.

 

"I doubt you did, cousin. After all, being part of a Dark family is more than just the name or one's house, despite what others may think."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Draco being a prat?
> 
> Sorry this took so long, I started NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, this and updates for my other stories are going towards my word count along with the brand new fic on my dashboard.

** Four **

Draco was coming home today. Caelum grimaced, he had hardly managed to hide his dislike upon hearing that little tidbit at breakfast this morning. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his _cousin_ today. Draco had not improved over the years, if anything he had gotten worse. But still, Caelum had considerable hold over him now. After all, he was a Black, directly so, not through a side-branch. If Draco annoyed him enough, what's to say he wouldn't mention removing Draco from the family tree to his half-brother?

 

He had become shockingly ruthless, or at least now he was showing it. Growing up with only himself to depend on meant that he had to skip an idle, naïve childhood and grow up with the harshness that every child under less than ideal situations dealt with. While Draco had been pampered from the moment he was born, never wanting for a single thing, Caelum had been starved of everything from affection to food.

 

It meant that Caelum really had little tolerance for the pampered little git, but he would do his best. He was family after all and he owed Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy everything for writing him a letter and taking him into their household and under their wing. He shuddered quietly at the thought of what his life may have been like without their intervention. He would have ended up being wed to Ginerva Weasley no doubt, pushing papers at the Ministry or trotting around on the streets as an obedient little Auror.

 

No, he was very glad for their intervention. Now he was Lord of one House and Heir to a Most Noble and Ancient House, for Sirius had told him that he was Heir, even if Sirius married and had a child of his own. Sirius didn't want the Lordship, their father had known that. Undoubtedly once he had introduced Sirius to his half-sibling he would have made the suggestion of making Caelum the Heir himself. So Sirius was just holding the title as Regent until Caelum came of age or married.

 

With the knowledge of Caelum's preference and his admitted desire to not have to be in control anymore, Sirius had cast _Chastity and Protection_ charms upon his half-brother, these spells prevented him from sexual intercourse (also preventing him from being raped) and notified Sirius in the case that he was in mortal danger. He had also given his half-brother the Heir ring for the family, which contained an emergency Portkey. Knowledge of this Portkey was limited to Sirius, Lucius, Narcissa and Caelum himself. It would bring him here to Malfoy Manor if he twisted the ring twice clockwise and said 'Toujours Pur'.

 

Caelum finished his breakfast and excused himself from the table, exiting the family dining room to go prepare for the day. He had begun taking more care in his appearance since starting his lessons with Narcissa, decorum and appearance could go a long way towards impressions on people of the wizarding world. He grimaced quietly to himself at the thought of what the people he had met as 'Harry Potter' probably thought of him. He was glad for the second chance, he would not waste it.

 

He was not looking forward to Hogwarts, however. Even with his new identity and likely House, he knew he would be in for some unpleasant situations, especially from Weasley and Granger. Thanks to a ward performed by Gringotts, none of the people in Grimmauld Place at the time of his revelation could outright tell someone that Caelum Potter-Black and Harry James Potter were one and the same, but they could imply. Lucius and Narcissa had assured him that Draco would be held under a similar vow, one with no loopholes for the boy to find.

 

He knew the whole of Gryffindor was going to turn on him, they were a finicky house at best. Hopefully he would not lose the twins, who had graduated, nor perhaps Neville Longbottom. He had never really cultivated a friendship with the shy boy, it may be a good idea to do so. At the very least he had to warn Neville to be careful of the Headmaster, since he was the only child that qualified for the old man's vaunted Prophecy. Caelum knew he should feel bad about literally throwing Neville to the wolves, but perhaps there was another solution to the Prophecy, one that would cancel the situation without fighting.

 

He dressed carefully in a pair of black silk trousers and a matching silk shirt with a mandarin collar trimmed in violet. Over the basic ensemble went a long, open surcoat of deep violet material trimmed in gold. He would have never thought of wearing purple, it always seemed like such a feminine colour. This shade however was so dark it was almost black and contrasted fabulously with his pale skin and striking eyes, or so Narcissa and his tailor had said.

 

Paired with black socks and simple black dress shoes he was finished, brushing his hair and murmuring the spell that made it fall back into the artfully tussled style that his stylist had deemed the best suiting for his angular features. A whitening spell on his teeth and a freshening one on his breath and he was ready to face the day.

 

Dressing so extravagantly every day was something of a novelty to him, but he wanted to make a strong impression on the Malfoy heir. Wearing elegant robes, acting like a proper pureblood and having the Black Heir ring prominently displayed on his long fingers would make a proper first impression. He was done playing the fool Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy would learn that Caelum Potter-Black was not someone he wished to mess with, the hard way if necessary.

 

When he descended the stairs with a book on Ancient Runes he garnered approving looks from Lucius and Narcissa and a surprised one from Remus and Sirius. "You look amazing, Caelum," Remus commented.

 

"Thank you Remus, you don't look half-bad yourself, you know," he teased. Indeed, the mild-natured man had benefited already from being in the same household as Narcissa Malfoy, she had taken one look at his worn wardrobe and replaced it without even a moment's hesitation. Wearing a soft silk shirt in bronze and well-fitting black trousers he looked a great deal younger.

 

Sirius snorted in amusement and agreement, looking casually elegant and handsome as always in a fitted sapphire silk button-up shirt with the top two buttons left undone and what looked like black suede leather trousers. He was looking much fitter and younger since his breakout, helped along by potions from St. Mungo's, sunlight and treatments for his hair and skin. Looking at him now Caelum could easily see an older version of the man who had been in James and Lily's wedding.

 

Caelum took a seat near his half-brother, leaned back casually and began to read. Ancient Runes was fascinating and he was looking forward to his altered curriculum for Hogwarts. Curiously he wondered when they would be receiving their OWL scores, he hadn't held himself back for the first time ever in school testing. It would be interesting to see what scores he'd gotten when actually using his intelligence.

 

He had gotten through the first four chapters of the book when he heard the distinctive 'whoosh' of the Floo activating in the next room. He looked up covertly over the top of his book as Draco Malfoy all but strutted into the room. He was about six foot, broad shouldered and his sleek blonde hair was slicked back as usual, the ends almost touching his shoulders. He'd grown into his pointy features some, but the arrogant expression on his face ruined any potential good looks.

 

He spotted his parents first and moved into the room to greet them, but stopped abruptly at the sight of Remus and Sirius. He'd recognised Remus if the derisive expression that briefly flitted across his face was any indicator, he didn't appear to have recognised Sirius however, which made Caelum resist a sneer of his own. How did one go about not even recognizing blood-kin, especially when their picture had been in the papers this summer?

 

Draco's eyes finally met his and the teen frowned openly, clearly not recognizing him at all, not that Caelum had expected him to. He was subjected to what Draco probably thought was a careful scrutiny but really felt like blatant staring, travelling from his head to his feet and back up before landing on the Heir ring on his finger. His pale countenance seemed to lose even more colour as his temper rose, a brief flush of colour tinting his cheekbones.

 

"Draco," Narcissa said, cutting off her son before he could open his mouth and speak. "How was your visit with Blaise in Italy? Is Antonia doing well, it has been some time since I was able to speak with her?"

 

Draco met his mother's eyes and seemed to regain his poise after a moment. "I am fine, Mother. Blaise and Antonia are both doing well, Antonia sends her regards. She mentioned owling you at some point, she wanted your advice on a personal matter."

 

"You have obviously noted our companions, Draco," Lucius drawled, drawing his son's attention. Draco seemed to flush a little at his father's tone, clearly hearing that the man was unimpressed with him staring at them.

 

"Allow me to introduce you to them," Lucius continued. "We have Remus Lupin, a former teacher of yours from Hogwarts, Lord Sirius Orion Black, your mother's cousin and his heir and half-brother, Caelum Valerius Orion Potter-Black."

 

" _Potter-_ Black? Don't tell me you're related to that spineless idiot Harry Potter."

 

Caelum set his book aside, marking his page with a bookmark. He stood, straightening his robes absently. He flicked his eyes to Narcissa, indicating that Draco needed to take the Oath now. All of these little gestures helped him to control the suddenly raging fury that burned through his very blood. He was determinedly not touching his wand, he had a feeling he would blast this little peacock through a wall if he did.

 

Narcissa got the Oath from her son, begrudingly, but faced with the intrigue of Caelum Potter-Black the boy seemed unable to resist. Caelum himself filed that away for later consideration, it was a small weakness in the boy. Not much, but it may turn out to be useful in the future that he was unable to control his desire to _know._

 

"You know, it really isn't polite to insult one's relations, _cousin._ For your knowledge however, I was once known as Harry James Potter. It turned out that I was taken from my birth sire, Orion Black. One Albus Dumbledore wanted a stronger child for his vaunted Prophecy than the one he already had, so he forced my bearer and I to conform to his vision."

 

"What are you doing here in my house, _Potter?_ Go back to whatever hovel you call home and take that one," his eyes flicked insultingly to Remus, "with you!"

 

"I would watch your tone, Heir Malfoy," Sirius spoke up, his voice frigid. "We are here as guests of your parents, not you. You are merely Heir and at the moment you are disgracing your bloodline speaking to us in this manner. Has it not penetrated your self-indulgent thoughts that I am Lord Black and Caelum my Heir? Let me spell it out to you, any more words along your current vein and you will find yourself an _ex-_ member of the Black family tree. I do not need to remove Narcissa to remove you as well."

 

Draco paled, glared at Sirius momentarily and spat, "My apologies, Lord Black."

 

Staring bitterly at Caelum he snapped, "I don't think our company will like you very much, Potter."

 

"That was as petty as it was transparent, _cousin._ For one, my name is Caelum, use it. If you must insist on your petty continuation of using my surname, it is Potter- _Black._ Secondly, not that it is any of your business whatsoever, but I had a conversation over tea with your precious Dark Lord himself on the veranda. I am an ally of his cause, not marked of course since myself and my family are too valuable of a resource. Last of all, do you even bother to think before opening your mouth? In any company but the present you could have very well implicated your family in being involved in the Dark Lord's cause."

 

"Indeed, Caelum," Lucius stated, looking very irritated with his heir. "All of the points you stated are true and it appears I need to go over a few things with my Heir since he appears to have revered to a two-year-old instead of the young man with decorum and ettiquite that I have raised."

 

Draco flushed angrily and excused himself, disappearing through one of the side doors. Caelum loosened his fingers from their tense fists, relaxing the muscles that had been poised to move out of the way and retrieve his wand if Draco had tried to hex or curse him. He sat down, rubbing his temple with his left hand.

 

 _Well that went off just_ perfectly _._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The train. Harry (Caelum) is a little OOC in this fic, remember. Enjoy!

Caelum smiled quietly at his brother as he said his goodbyes, ignoring the absence of Draco who was commanding his parents' attention not two feet from him. Anytime Narcissa or Lucius had attempted to bid their farewells to him Draco had interrupted. Caelum resisted the desire to roll his eyes at his cousin's very childish behaviour. He smiled at his brother instead, ignoring the whispers about who he could possibly be.

 

Thanks to a clever little spell Narcissa had taught him at the bank, none of the Order could speak of his actual name to anyone who did not know already. Convenient. For once he would have a normal school-year, entering as Caelum Black, the pureblood half-brother to the former notorious ex-prisoner, Sirius Black. He was striking physically he knew, but the gossips of Hogwarts would soon find something else to hiss about.

 

Finally he intervened on Narcissa's behalf, walking over and teasingly stating to Draco, eyes cold despite his tone, "May I steal your mother for a moment, I wish to bid her farewell myself?"

 

Draco was forced to step back, glaring furiously. Caelum had apologized for his rudeness in their first year and the other had thrown it back in his face, earning a harsh berating from his father who had overheard the last of their conversation. No doubt the other thought that he would be getting away from Caelum at school, unusual eyes danced in amusement as Caelum thought of the rude shock he would be getting instead.

 

After bidding farewell until the holiday season to his cousin and her husband, Caelum turned to the compartment they had been standing near. His trunk was already on board, since they were at the station students who knew magic were now allowed to use it. A good thing too, his trunk was incredibly heavy. A _Feather-light_ and _Bottomless_ spell had taken care of the lack of space, a _Leviosa_ handled moving it nicely.

 

He thought for a moment before his lips spread in a small, cold smile. Who said he only had to continue ruffling his cousin's feathers at school? So he made his way through the compartments to the one Draco and his companions always commanded. There was plenty of space, the compartments up front seated ten instead of the six towards the back thanks to a well-cast _Expansion_ charm. Only a few of the cars could take the heavy spell work necessary to expand each compartment so there was always a bit of a scuffle for the front of the train.

 

Spotting Draco's usual compartment he rapped politely on the frosted glass doors with two fingers, waiting. The doorway slid open and he was subjected to the curious stare of one Blaise Zabini, a student Caelum had always taken notice of even while pretending to be 'Harry'. Tall and broad-shouldered, his mocha-colored skin contrasted sharply with rich amber eyes. His hair was short and due to his multi-national ancestry he spoke fluent English, French, Italian and Greek.

 

"Might I enquire as to who you are and why you were knocking on our compartment door?" Blaise stated politely if a bit distantly.

 

"Certainly. I am Caelum Valerius Black, half-brother to Lord Sirius Black and his appointed heir. As for why I rapped on your particular door, I was wondering if I may be so bold as to intrude on your company for the duration of our ride to the school?"

 

Blaise considered his words, and likely his heritage, before stepping back and saying, "Please, do join us. There is more than enough room. Let me help you with your trunk."

 

"Thank you and that would be most appreciated. My cousin Narcissa thought it most important to pack my trunk with all sorts of things, I'm sure I probably have duplicates if not triplicates of the required items for the year," Caelum answered with a small laugh.

 

Pansy Parkinson sat nearest to the window on the left side of the compartment, her lips twisted into a sneer. Never the most beautiful of females the expression did nothing for her, despite her elegant travelling gown. Her bodice was incredibly low, almost forcing one to notice her cleavage. Caelum found it incredibly tacky and he was surprised the Malfoys had done nothing about Draco's continued behaviour with the girl.

 

Daphne Greengrass looked striking in a simple cashmere jumper with a black wool skirt and sturdy boots. The only thing about her appearance that Caelum could find unusual were the heels on said boots, but all they did was make him admire her balance. Her long blonde hair was curled and pinned into an elegant bun on her neck and her blue eyes were both striking and full of intelligence.

 

Sitting next to Daphne was her usual partner in crime and one of the most mysterious girls in all of Hogwarts, Tracy Davis. The tall brunette in an elegant suit and heels was considered by many of the guys, including those in Gryffindor, as one of the hottest but most unobtainable females in the school. There was a roll of parchment and a quill on her lap and it looked to be a massive letter to someone.

 

Blaise meanwhile retook his seat next to Theodore Nott, who's dark brown eyes widened in the only form of recognition that Caelum had gotten in this whole compartment. But of course, his father was a member of the Inner Circle and had been present when the Dark Lord had introduced Caelum and Sirius as his allies and political backers. No doubt the Lord Nott had mentioned the conversation to his family when he went home.

 

Of course, this brought up the surprising fact that since Theo was the only one to show recognition, the rest of these teens were likely supporters of the Dark Lord's ideal but not with a Marked member in their families. Other than Parkinson of course, but no doubt Draco had been whinging about his presence in Malfoy Manor all summer, he had hardly expected a warm welcome from the girl.

 

"Take a seat, Black," Theo said, gesturing to the compartment's elegant, comfortable crimson seats. Since the window seat across from Parkinson was open, Caelum gracefully made his way over after Blaise helped him with his trunk, sitting down and crossing his long legs with his Ancient Runes and Arithmancy texts next to him.

 

He picked up the Arithmancy book and setting it in his lap, choosing it as the greater of two evils to continue working on. Ancient Runes fascinated him, Arithmancy on the other hand was headache-inducing.  Nonetheless he had deemed it necessary to his education, dropping Care of Magical Creatures and Divination in a heartbeat. The first was dangerous and the second taught by a fraud who drank far too much.

 

"Taking both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes? Difficult classes, but the most rewarding," Blaise stated, looking at his books. "In any case I would rather take those two than be caught dead learning about _Muggles._ Since the only other options are learning about the future from a drunk and a dangerous class taught by a man who doesn't know the meaning of 'harmful', those are good choices."

 

Caelum tilted his head to the side and considered Blaise's words. Insulting, certainly, but not towards himself. Plus it rather echoed his own thoughts on the matter (aside from the rant on Muggles). "Thank you. These are however the classes I had chosen when younger, so I can't take much credit for choosing them in a school I have never attended."

 

"I can see why you would have been privately educated, what with your half-brother's recent run-ins with the Ministry. Of course, their behaviour towards him was disgraceful, the Blacks are part of the sacred twenty-eight and have been practically royalty over many generations. It was only once they started such close inbreeding that the more recent ones became so unstable," Daphne said, crinkling her snub nose slightly at the idiocy of the Ministry.

 

Caelum was unable to answer her well-worded and thought out reasoning as at that moment the compartment door opened, revealing one Draco Malfoy. Caelum watched, with a certain amount of cold, dark amusement as the other boy locked eyes on him and went pale, before a dark flush of color spread up his neck to his nape and over his cheeks.

 

"Get out," the blonde snarled, glaring at him with furious grey eyes. His companions for the past five years looked startled and, in the cases of Daphne and Theo, a little disgusted.

 

"I don't think so, _cousin_ ," Caelum said mildly, putting emphasis on the title since he knew the other boy detested it. "Your companions have welcomed me into the compartment. I am well settled, the train will be departing soon. I am not going to leave this far superior compartment and the interesting individuals that inhabit it because you are throwing a hissy fit over no longer being the Black heir."

 

Draco's cheeks brightened angrily and he withdrew his wand with a sharp movement of his wrist. Caelum clucked his tongue reprovingly and said, "Are you that eager for your father's punishment, Dragon? I seem to remember you having distinct trouble sitting for a good week after your 'disgraceful' behaviour and lack of tact when we were first introduced to each other."

 

The humiliation from the use of his mother's pet name for him showed in his angry grey eyes, but he put the wand away and hefted his trunk above the only open seat, across from Tracy Davis, who was watching him with considerable disdain.

 

The train began to move as they sat there in a slightly awkward silence. Caelum decided to be generous and broke it, turning to Theo who sat to his right and starting a conversation on Ancient Runes, a mutual favourite subject it seemed. As quiet chatter broke out in the compartment Caelum noted an angry, resentful stare from his cousin. He arched a single eyebrow, staring back.

 

As the other turned away, fists clenched in his lap, Caelum's lips curled in a satisfied little smile. He had tried to be nice to Draco, for his cousin Narcissa and Lucius, who had done so much for him. The other had thrown it back in his face all summer, sneering and whinging about him being an 'intruder' in Draco's home.

 

He was done. He had tried to be nice, it wasn't going to work. So Caelum would ruin him instead. Draco Malfoy would fall so far in the eyes of his peers, even his name and money wouldn't drag him out of the dirt. He would take the esteem and pride of being Slytherin's 'prince' away from the boy, who was still so childish even after having to deal with the infighting of Slytherin house.

 

A sub-vocal growl left Caelum's throat, too low for his companions to hear. _Let the game begin._  


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive, I swear! Sorry this took so long! This is over 3k words, so hopefully it works as a sort of apology?
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter. Darn.

** Six **

 

Draco's rage at his presence in the train compartment was nothing next to his reaction when Caelum was sorted into Slytherin. Not only the blonde was stupefied by his placement however, no doubt Snape was well on his way to an aneurism. The man's disdain seemed to reach new heights as he gave his beginning of term speech to the first years and a privately amused Caelum. Caelum had a feeling he would greatly enjoy winding up his new Head of House, perhaps he could lower the man's image in the eyes of the students as well as Draco's power?

 

Satisfaction flooded him at the idea, it would be a revenge well-planned and deserved in his opinion. Take Draco's power base and reason for arrogance out from under his cowardly feet and knock the smugly superior Potions professor down a few pegs while he was at it. Indeed, if he planned and executed this correctly he could end up the main voice for all of Slytherin. It would take planning and careful execution however, a few well-chosen allies as well.

 

Meanwhile, there was the rather satisfying amusement garnered from interaction with Ginerva, Ronald and Hermione, not to mention the Headmaster himself. His little spell was holding well, Ron had turned almost purple in his desperate anger to shout at Caelum, but because he couldn't give away anything about him the spell had restricted his entire tirade.

 

It felt good to get away from those two. Ron's insecurity, jealousy and fair-weather support had not made for a good basis in friendship. He had always been holding himself back and wearing things that were best burnt to keep the other from sulking. His immaturity would be his downfall, no doubt.

 

Hermione had an unwavering faith in authority which was outright dangerous. She hadn't thought it possible for a professor to be after the Stone, nor to try and kill Harry. Then there had been Lockhart with his books that she had read so fervently and practically worshipped despite his sheer incompetence from the first class. She had also shown prejudice towards creatures in her third year with her initial reaction to Remus, all because he was a werewolf.

 

Then there was her reaction to anyone who did better than her in a class or a spell. Her thirst for knowledge was voracious, but she blocked everyone around her from learning and gaining the help they might need with her constant _need_ for acknowledgement. Caelum could understand the occasional desire for praise, but she was beyond the point where it would be called tiresome.

 

No, Caelum was well-rid of them. He would be better off making new allies, powerful ones that would assist him to his goals and desires. Perhaps a confidant or two, but he wouldn't be making the same mistake of trusting them blindly. Perhaps his relationships with Luna and Neville were salvageable, he would have to wait and see.

 

For now he sat alone towards the end of the Slytherin table, eating his breakfast. He'd gained a wary distance from his new House, all due to his rather infamous brother. Sirius would no doubt find it amusing that he had such a reaction amongst Slytherin, what with his family's scorn at his ability to uphold traditions and reputation.

 

There were three empty seats around him, or at least there were until someone sat directly across from him. Looking up he realized it was Theo Nott, the only one who had recognized him as an official supporter of the Dark Lord. Caelum watched the boy discreetly from under his lashes, contemplating. Theo's father was an ardent supporter of the Dark Lord, a marked member of his Inner Circle. He was also one of the only people to treat him and his brother with the respect they deserved when they were officially introduced.

 

Theo sat calmly, reaching out to take a piece of fruit from a bowl to his left. His dark brown hair was cropped short except for a set of fringe that fell over the edge of his left eye, he would occasionally flick it out of his face with his fingers. His bright hazel eyes were full of intelligence but showed very little emotion. Caelum was not fooled, he could guess how dangerous Theo might be if riled.

 

"Good morning, Nott," he said finally. "I trust you slept well?"

 

"As decently as one can on school beds. Did you sleep comfortably?"

 

"Somewhat. I am a bit unsettled still, being in a new place and unfamiliar surroundings," Caelum waved his hand around himself to indicate the castle.

 

Nott dipped his head in understanding, returning to his breakfast. The two ate in comfortable silence, Caelum discreetly checking his meal and drinks for any type of potions or spells. His Heir ring would warn him if anything offered him mortal danger or most potions, it vibrated subtly on his finger as he reached for his drink. He hesitated and went for a cool goblet of water instead.

 

He pulled a small vial hardly the size of his pinkie finger from his bag, ruffling through it as if to check for something else. When Theo saw it the boy had a surprising reaction, shifting a little to block his actions from both the Head table and the rest of their House. Nodding in thanks, Caelum picked up the contaminated goblet and mimed drinking from it, instead pouring a small amount into the vial.

 

Stoppering the vial he placed it in an inside pocket of his robes and set down the goblet, discreetly letting his eyes wander around to find any gazes that seemed unusual. Spotting Draco Malfoy's smug stare a few paces away, he clenched his fists under the table. Instead of letting his _cousin_ see his ire, he settled his face, eyes and shoulders into the coldest stare he could manage. After a few moments the other boy actually _flinched_ and looked away.

 

Severus Snape started walking down the far end of the table, handing out class schedules. When he finally reached Caelum and Theo he offered the brown-haired boy his and then handed Caelum his, holding it with just the tips of two fingers and a deep sneer. "I don't know how you made it into my House, let alone my class, but you won't be here long, mark my words boy."

 

Caelum looked coldly back and said, "I would be the one being careful, _Professor._ I know things about you, things that could be very bad for you if whispered in the wrong ears. If you enjoy _breathing_ your dungeon air, I would tread quietly."

 

Severus glared at him even more fiercely, but underneath his sallow skin he was getting a bit paler. He stalked away, robes flowing behind him.

 

 Theo looked away from their Head of House, regarding Caelum with a contemplative expression. "You know something about him, something that would be life-threatening. The real question is, is it from Dumbledore or the Dark Lord?"

 

Baring his teeth in a rather aggressive smile, Caelum said nothing. Instead he gathered his things and looked at his schedule. Potions. A slightly dark smirk crossed his lips and he said, "Nott, do you happen to have Potions first? I would rather not get lost in this place."

 

He caught the edge of a disbelieving look from Malfoy, mingled with a slightly annoyed disappointment. Resisting the urge to hex the little snot, Caelum focused on his other classmate. Theodore gave no sign he had seen the little look towards Malfoy, instead stating, "I do. I would be happy to escort you there this morning. May we compare schedules, I may have more classes with you? Also, please call me Theodore or Theo, Nott makes it sound like you are a Professor."

 

"Certainly, you may call me Caelum," he offered in return, smiling slightly. Inside he was pleased, Theo could turn out to be a valuable ally and confidant, plus he was from a Marked family, which meant certain support as they knew the importance of the Black heir to the Dark cause.

 

He held out his schedule, Theo glancing at it briefly. He looked up with a small grin. "It seems we have the exact same class schedule, so I indeed do have more classes with you. This place may seem a bit of a maze, but I'm certain you'll navigate it easily within a couple of days. For now, Potions. It's actually not that far from our common room."

 

The two walked away, chatting quietly. The walk was a bit longer than Caelum had remembered from just this morning and he made a mental note to develop a habit of going to 'take a walk' later, so he had a plausible excuse for knowing a few shortcuts in the next few days.  Of course he had the Map as well, which was a family heirloom of sorts. Neville might recognize it, or Luna, but that could be advantageous.

 

For now he was content to chatter about his education with Theodore, both soon falling back onto their mutual favorite subject of Ancient Runes. They were engaged in a lively debate about the age and importance of two different runic families outside the Potions classroom when the Gryffindor contigent showed up. It consisted of Hermione, Neville, Dean and somehow, _Ron._ Caelum narrowed his eyes at the sight of the redhead, wondering how he'd gotten into the class.

 

It certainly hadn't been on his own merits, like Caelum. His satisfaction at Snape's disbelief had been heightened remembering his re-test results. Without the drama that had accompanied Umbridge, an entirely dissatisfying year with his peers disapproval and hissing whispers about his sanity, he had more than outperformed the standards that had been the 'Harry Potter' persona.

 

He drank in Hermione's expression of shock with a great deal of inner delight, she at least knew that he certainly had _not_ gotten the intervention of McGonagall, the Headmaster or some combination of both like Ron most certainly had. He gave her an entirely disinterested stare for a few moments before looking away, noting her bristling presence with some satisfaction.  No, she would not be riding high on the advantage of being the friend of a 'celebrity' of sorts. She would probably even hate him by the end of the year, he thought idly.

 

Before she could say anything the door swung open, students filing in and moving to tables, hastily avoiding the very front. To Ron's obvious horror, being one of the very last students in meant he was in the very front, paired with an apprehensive Dean Thomas. Caelum felt for the dark-skinned boy, he had a feeling that Dean would be regretting his lab partner before long.

 

Snape walked through a back door, flicking his wand at the entrance to the classroom which swung shut with a loud 'bang'. Several students jumped, while Caelum hardly bothered to hide his unimpressed eye-roll at the childish behaviour. For one who didn't believe in 'foolish wand-waving', Severus Snape was a rather melodramatic individual. The action earned him a dark glare, to which he merely arched an eyebrow.

 

The man looked away and snapped, "For those of you who entered the classroom last, you will learn to regret your tardiness this year, for both your seating and partner arrangements are fixed for the rest of this year."

 

There were several groans. "Silence! Your year's curriculum is available for copying for the next 10 minutes, which I suggest you take advantage of. There are several blank spots as you may note, these are Potions about which you will have no prior notice. My grading system has changed as well. For the past 5 years I have had to put up with you, now you have entered at your own choice, so I am going to make you _work_ to stay here. Instead of the previous 50% potions/50% essays it has changed to 75/25. I will not _hesitate_ to fail you from my class by mid-term if I feel you are wasting my time."

 

"Your first Potion this year is a Ministry standard for beginning of sixth year, Draught of the Living Death. Thankfully for you all, this is a double class, which means that you have time to complete this potion in one session, as the average brewing time is an hour and 45 minutes. Once you have finished copying the curriculum, you may get your ingredients from the student cupboard and begin brewing. This is an _individual assignment,_ so I don't want anyone talking unless it is to borrow a piece of equipment necessary for your current stage in the process."

 

A Hufflepuff from the back of the class raised their hand and was swiftly barked at by Snape. "What?!"

 

"Where can we find the instructions?"

 

"For those of you who _seemingly can't read_ the curriculum in front of you, the potion is on page 12 of your copies of Advanced Potions Making," the man answered scathingly, which made the young girl flush furiously and stare at the floor for a few moments.

 

Caelum stood and made his way to the student cupboard, rolling his eyes. As usual it seemed Snape was all bark and no bite. All he felt towards the man was disdain for his childish behaviour and petty intimidation techniques. Really, the man felt he had to act like an absolute bore towards his students to stay in control? He was either incredibly insecure or just an arse. Currently Caelum leaned toward the latter.

 

Setting all of his ingredients onto a tray offered for just that purpose, Caelum made his way back to his station, removing everything but a piece of paper upon which he'd copied the instructions and a quill to mark off stages as he completed them. Reaching into his bag he revealed a small case, untying and unrolling it on the counter next to him revealed a very elegant set of professional tools. Sirius had bought him these from a retired Potions Master who sold only the very best of ingredients and tools.

 

The sight of the set seemed to anger his Professor even more, the man glaring spitefully at the tools, all crafted of the highest grade of titanium, which was the least reactive metal to most ingredients, silver was second-best and far cheaper. Placing a small titanium bowl underneath his sophorous beans, he began crushing them with the flat of his blade to release the juices contained within. It was different from the listed instructions, but he had received advanced tutoring over the summer from an Italian Potions Mistress.

 

Remembering Madame Renaldi's shocked disbelief and disgust at his starting abilities was a source of high amusment for Caelum now, though he had been mortified at first. When she had found out who his instructor was for the past five years, she had snorted a bit and calmed considerably, muttering under her breath in Italian. She had proceeded to completely begin again, teaching him all the way from 1st year to his current and future potions. She had been an exacting taskmaster, but Caelum respected he greatly.

 

When he'd quoted the Italian the best he could to Sirius later, the man had started laughing. It had been several minutes before his brother could reply that she had said, "I'd of expected that much from that old bore."

 

Apparently even in the Potions community Snape, while well-respected for his considerable abilities in brewing and creating potions, was not particularly well-liked or known for a personable demeanor. He had annihilated himself from his peers early on, most preferring to stay away from him rather than extend a hand or offer a partnership. So the bitter man had been forced to accept a teaching position from the only school that would take him, Hogwarts.

 

With Madame Renaldi's tutoring at his back, Caelum proceeded confidently on his potion, lending Theodore tools and spare ingredients but leaving the boy to work on his own otherwise. One of the first things he had done when setting up his cauldron was to cast a shield over his work, preventing contamination. He was very thankful for this hammered-in behaviour from the Madame when a stray sophorous bean bounced off his shield and hit the floor. Though it hardly made a sound, Snape reacted like it had been a gunshot, whirling around and pinning a very shocked, angry Draco Malfoy with his gaze.

 

Caught red-handed thanks to Caelum's shield, Snape was forced to reluctantly take points from his own House and assign a detention to Malfoy. He was also given an essay to write on how the sophorous bean would have reacted with the stage Caelum's potion had been at currently.

 

Whirling on Caelum the angry man snapped, "Explain your shield, Mr. Black!"

 

"I was taught to place shields on my work, Professor. It was hammered into me until it was instinctive. As you can see, it was something to be glad of, otherwise Malfoy could have ruined my nearly-completed work."

 

"A shield is not something I teach students to place on their work, Mr. Black," Snape nearly growled.

 

"Then it is a good thing you haven't been my teacher, isn't it sir?"

 

The glare he received was withering, but Caelum was enjoying his private amusement at his words. Finally the man seemed to give into his curiosity and asked, "Who may I ask was your instructor?"

 

"Madame Renaldi, a Potion's Mistress from Italy. I trust you have heard of her, since you are a part of the professional community?"

 

The man's glare seemed to become even darker, but instead he said shortly, "I have indeed." Glaring at the students who had been watching their exchange, he snarled, "What are you _fools_ lingering around watching this for? Do I need remind you that none of you are quite as far into your work as Mr. Black and time is swiftly disappearing?"

 

Students jumped guiltily back to their work, some cursing softly under their breaths as they registered just how little time there actually was to finish. They began to hurry, most making small mistakes along the way. Meanwhile, both Caelum and Theodore cruised to an easy finish, bottling their potions and beginning to clean their workspaces.

 

As they exited class, Theo remarked in a very bland voice, "That was entertaining, wasn't it?"

 

Draco Malfoy stormed by, glowering at the pair. A chuckle left Caelum's lips in mild surprise at his companion's words. "Oh yes, it certainly was."

 

He smirked to himself. Oh yes, very entertaining indeed.


End file.
